Qi Gong

All posts in the Qi Gong category

A dear Chinese friend of mine asked me to explain ‘Energy’ to another Chinese friend last night…..’Wow’ ! I thought, how do I explain that one’ in one easy sentence 😦

I was slightly lucky because just at that moment these two lovely Chinese ladies were being harassed a little by a foreigner who was a little drunk, very loud, argumentative, highly non-empathetic and downright arrogant…I therefore had the perfect way to explain ‘Energy’ to this young lady who is going through some severe relationship problems at the moment. She had come out for the evening to meet with her friend in order to gain some help and hopefully some advice regarding her problems. I was just a bystander being asked to help, so here is what I said to this young lady…

‘Energy’, is something that some of us can feel but others cannot! You called your friend and asked her to meet you this evening in order for her to listen to your relationship troubles and hopefully help you with her advice, you called her because you trust her, she is quietly spoken, friendly and she listens to you, she will not judge you and she will hold your hand and be there for you, her ‘Energy’ is calm and you feel comfortable sharing these intimate problems with her, right? She nodded and said yes, I feel she can really help me :)…

I then turned to this foreigner and said to her, he is the opposite of your friend, you turn your back to him, your shoulders are rounded away from him, your head is down and you try to be as far away from him as possible, he is loud, he is aggressive, he is pushy towards you, he invades your personal space and only thinks of himself, you feel insecure and threatened by him, right? She nodded and said yes!…

His energy is bad, it is dark, it is forceful and he wants to control you, can you see the difference?…She immediately nodded her head and said yes with a smile, I said this is ‘Energy’… 🙂 and the difference between positive (happy) and negative (dark, threatening)

From that moment on, she opened up to her friend and to me and we were able to connect to her problems, the arrogant guy got the message and left us alone and at the end of the evening she went home feeling happier and carried with her a little love and positive energy from us both 🙂

Living in China and having a long personal history of martial arts, Chinese history, culture and my own spiritual practice embedded in China for the past fifty years, has; over the years made me very interested in Daoism/Taoism, Lao Tzu/ Lao Zi, the Dao De Jing/Tao Te Ching, I Ching..there are so many ways they are represented globally 🙂 The difference between Daojia 道家 , Taoist Philosophy and Daojiao 道教, Daoist Religion brings even more confusion to the western world let alone understanding the I Ching (The Book of Change), the oracle of fortune, a guide to success and a dispensary of wisdom. The ancestor of all Chinese philosophy, it is the primary source for the pragmatic mysticism of the Tao Te Ching, the rational humanism of Confucius, and the analytic strategy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War and of course the wonderful Yin 酓 Yang 昜 in traditional Chinese and Yin阴Yang 阳 in modern simplified Chinese.

Yin is the black side with the white dot in it, and yang is the white side with the black dot in it. The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and a valley. Yin (literally the ‘shady place’ or ‘north slope’) is the dark area occluded by the mountain’s bulk, while yang (literally the ‘sunny place’ or ‘south slope’) is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.

Yin is characterised as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity , and nighttime.

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime.

Yin and yang applies to the human body. In traditional Chinese medicine good health is directly related to the balance between yin and yang qualities within oneself.If yin and yang become unbalanced, one of the qualities is considered deficient or has vacuity.

Anyways, I could go on forever trying to explain Yin Yang, The Dao/Tao so I thought I would share with you this very short cartoon animated Ted Talk video explaining Yin Yang, I hope you enjoy it and that it will inspire you to learn more about Daoism 🙂

The pendulum swings to and fro
From darkness to light
From sickness to health
From goodness to evil
And back again.

It’s enough to make anyone confused.
The sage has found the still point between;
Remaining neutral
He teaches by living a simple, honest life;
He creates by allowing,
He feeds without forcing,
And gives by receiving.

Just because we’re old doesn’t mean we are past enjoying technology and the beauty that can be brought into our lives through the proper use if that technology and equally just because we are young doesn’t mean we are insensitive towards old people and non interested in the wisdom that age can bring to our young lives!

I like to think that there is wisdom in every being, young or old, rich or poor, we all have something to offer to this life and to our world.

Enjoy this image my friends and wonder for a while and imagine what music or words this wise old Tao Master is listening to!

Lao Tzu was a philosopher and poet of ancient China. He is best known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, but he is also revered as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. Although a legendary figure, he is usually dated to around the 6th century BC and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BC. A central figure in Chinese culture, Lao Tzu is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern common folk of the Li family as a founder of their lineage. Throughout history, Lao Tzu’s work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.

Lao Tsu taught that all straining, all striving are not only vain but counterproductive. One should endeavor to do nothing (wu-wei). But what does this mean? It means not to literally do nothing, but to discern and follow the natural forces — to follow and shape the flow of events and not to pit oneself against the natural order of things. First and foremost to be spontaneous in ones actions.

In this sense the Taoist doctrine of wu-wei can be understood as a way of mastering circumstances by understanding their nature or principal, and then shaping ones actions in accordance with these. This understanding has also infused the approach to movement as it is developed in Tai Chi Chuan.

Understanding this, Taoist philosophy followed a very interesting circle. On the one hand the Taoists, rejected the Confucian attempts to regulate life and society and counseled instead to turn away from it to a solitary contemplation of nature. On the other hand they believed that by doing so one could ultimately harness the powers of the universe. By ‘doing nothing’ one could ‘accomplish everything.’

Lao Tzu writes:

The Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquillity.
In this way all things would be at peace.
In this way Taoist philosophy reached out to council rulers and advise them of how to govern their domains. Thus Taoism, in a peculiar and roundabout way, became a political philosophy. The formulation follows these lines:
The Taoist sage has no ambitions, therefore he can never fail. He who never fails always succeeds. And he who always succeeds is all- powerful.
From a solitary contemplation of nature, far removed from the affairs of men, can emerge a philosophy that has, both in a critical as well a constructive sense — a direct and practical political message. Lao Tzu writes:

Why are people starving?
Because the rulers eat up the money in taxes.
Therefore the people are starving.
Why are the people rebellious?
Because the rulers interfere too much.
Therefore they are rebellious.

Why do people think so little of death?
Because the rulers demand too much of life.
Therefore the people take life lightly.

My Dear Friends,
Tomorrow is Chinese New Years eve so I will be going off line and travelling with my wife to the mountains of central north China where we will spend the Chinese New Year holiday with her family on their farm. This time is spent honouring family members, passed ancestors and the younger generation where we come together as one and enjoy the festivities, so I would like to take this opportunity in wishing you all

A Very Happy Chinese New Year
Gong Xi Fa Chai 恭喜发财
Xin Nian Kuai Le 新年快乐
2014 The Year of the Horse

So if you were born in :- 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, and 2002 then you were born in the Year of the Horse.

Horse people are active and energetic. They got plenty of sex-appeal and know how to dress. Horses love to be in the crowd, maybe that is why they can usually be seen in such occasions like concerts, theaters, meetings, sporting occasions, and of course, parties.
The horse is very quick-witted and is right in there with you before you have had the chance to finish what you are saying: he’s on to the thought in your mind even before you’ve expressed it.
In general, the Horse is gifted. But in truth they are really more cunning than intelligent – and they know that. That is probably why, most of the horse people lack confidence.
Chinese believe that because horses are born to race or travel, all Horse people invariably leave home young. The Horse despises being pressured to act for the good of the group or made to feel guilty. No matter how integrated they seem to be, a Horse’s inner self remains powerfully rebellious. Although they have boundless energy and ambition, Horses have a hard time belonging. The Horse is hot-blooded, hot-headed and impatient. Horse people are a bit of an egoist, well, selfish sometimes, that it is rare for them to interest themselves in any problems except their own. And though this egoist works only for themselves and for their own success, their work nevertheless benefits everybody.
The Horse is a worker, adepts at handling money and a good financier. But unfortunately, they are also famous for suddenly losing interest on something. In their relationship with the opposite sex, the Horse is weak. They will give up everything for love.
Being born a Horse, there are many contradictions in their character. Horses are proud yet sweet-natured, arrogant yet oddly modest in their approach to love, envious but tolerant, conceited yet humble. They want to belong, yet they are burdened by their need for independence. They need love and crave intimacy yet often feel cornered, pressured. But the truth is, the Horse is an individual, who depends only on their own wits and labour to get what they want

Chinese New Year is an important traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the first day of the year of the Chinese calendar. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festiva; on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calandar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year”.
The source of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritious, Philippines, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of ‘Good Fortune’ or ‘Happiness’ ‘wealth’, and ‘longevity.’ Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes (Hong Bao) .
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the 3rd millennium BC Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2013 AD the “Chinese Year” 4711, 4710, or 4650.

I’m far from being a poet or a writer but the following words just sprang from nowhere, they are from my heart you might say, or maybe from my higher self, who knows! But I guess its sort of my first attempt at poetry ☺ Your comments, thoughts and suggestions are always welcome my friends, and, as I have said before; if you need my help, would like me to write or comment on any particular subject or gain a response to anything, please let me know.

With Love
Mark

My River, My Journey, My Life

My life is like a river constantly flowing to a fro,
From rock to rock,
From pool to pool,
My journey is far and long,
From mountain top, to valley below,
Across the plains and to the sea.

Along the way I see many sights and experience many things, meet people from every culture, religion and status;
Some good some bad,
but each encounter allows me a chance to learn,
To feel,
To embrace,
To laugh,
To cry,
To love or to simply walk away,
It’s my choice what I decide to take on board with me on my journey and what to cast away from my boat.

I collect experiences and feelings as my journey continues,
at some points my boat is slowed by the lack of wind,
my progress is halted at times,
but things pick up as the wind of life changes my course,
my direction once again becomes clear and on I go,
pushing forward to new horizons.
Some days the clouds cover my pathway,
the storms effect my steering and my journey becomes unpleasant and often dangerous.
I take rest, I meditate, I re calculate my path,
the clouds part, the sun shines and the soft wind once again catches my sails and off I go again,
along the river of my life.

My Dear Friends, welcome to My Spiritual Journey Part 6, this post will bring us to a point in time in my journey about 1 year ago. I will endeavour to bring it up-to date as soon as I can get the time. This post is to tell you about two amazing connections and meetings I had with two renowned clairvoyants.

An encounter with a Japanese clairvoyant and Aura Artist.

A Japanese friend of mine in Shanghai mentioned they knew that a very talented clairvoyant was visiting from Japan and asked would I like to meet her? A couple of days later I was sitting in an apartment kitchen with this lady from Japan, she could not speak English or Chinese so we had another Japanese lady sit with us and translate what Nami (The ladies name) was saying during our session together. I just sat at the kitchen table and Nami sat opposite me, she had a large A3 piece of paper in front of her and an assortment of coloured fiber tipped pens. Nami looked into my eyes and around the shape of my upper body and head, she then began to draw…This was amazing; she hardly looked down at the drawing and was very attentive whilst looking at me. Being gifted from an early age, Nami is able to see within your Aura and clearly see your Spiritual Guides, Angels and Guardians and immediately put this image on paper for you to see and understand. Nami can access through different angles and channels how your past lives have been, what is happening in this life-time now and what to expect in the near future, lessons to learn, transmit to you messages from your ancestors and let you know about Karma you may have inherited. She can easily do this through her illustrations and make it easy for you to understand.

Nami is well known in Japan and her hands move at lightning speed continuously to finish her illustrations. She has published many of her works as “MANGA” (cartoons) and illustrations and is in big demand in Japan for her clairvoyant advice. My session with Nami was incredible, she aligned and confirmed what I have been told by many spiritualists and clairvoyants whom I have met during the past year and provided me with messages directly from my Spiritual Guides and Angels that are with me today. I won’t go into great detail of what my guides and angels said to me but it is fantastic news and certainly clarifies my next steps. I would like to share with you a copy of my Aura Drawing so you can see what Nami saw during our session.. If you can read Japanese then you will also get a little information from the written text within the drawing.

The very next morning Saturday at 08:00am I took part in a Light Activation Session with a wonderful lady named Shanta Gabriel. Shanta is an inspired teacher and visionary mystic whose work with the Angelic Dimensions has spanned over 20 years. She is also the author of The Gabriel Messages and The Gabriel Message Cards.. Visit the new Resources page of her website: http://www.TheGabrielMessages.com/Resources to see the new online version of The Gabriel Messages Book and Cards. You can also find the powerful first phase of her timely teleclass, Evolution of Consciousness.

Shanta connected me to my Guides and Angels, confirmed all that transpired in my Aura Drawing session with Nami the day before, cleansed my body with a crystal light wand, aligned my Chakras and took me to my ‘Garden of Devine Light’, this journey was extremely important to me because I will be able to recall that space in my being and go into that place again in all my future meditations

The interesting thing for me (as a slight spiritual skeptic at that time) was the continuity of messages from both Nami and Shanta, they were thousands of miles apart, on different continents, speaking two very different languages but their messages were identical, they both spoke about my highness of vibration, my aura colors and the intense energy they both felt during our sessions in Nami’s case face to face and in Shanta’s case via a telephone conversation, they both spoke about my highness of spiritual calling, the intensity of the messages being transmitted to me by my Angels, Ascended Masters and Spiritual Guides, the message regarding my spiritual journey and their blessings for me and the work I need to do moving forward. I broke down in tears yet again during my session with Shanta, because the messages I received were so powerful, the intensity of the information regarding my spiritual journey and the messages regarding my place in humanity and the work I must do are so strong, detailed and humbling for me because I am just a Husband and a dad from the UK, living in China, trying my best each and every day; yes I do care about our planet and humanity, yes I would like to see change and yes I am very willing to do all I can to help others who are less fortunate than myself…But what should I do and how should I do it?….the constant message was and still is…’You are already doing it’, ‘you have been on this mission for all your LIVES’, ‘you are healing people each and every day, your do this through your messages, through your voice, through your written words, this healing will grow in intensity and will also include touch’. I was and still am amazed by these messages, the powerful words they used the strength that the guides pass on to me brings me to tears every time I hear them. I know I have something special and I know I must relax my mind, don’t fight the messages or question the reasoning behind my journey and ‘Just BE’…’Just Be Me’. The strange thing is; when I relax, block out the everyday hum from my mind, meditate and come into the ‘Now’ I grow stronger, images flash through my mind, pictures are clear of what I need to do is so visually represented, it’s like a direct connection to a higher power, a sort of direct feed video on fast play… Is this my higher power talking to me, my inner self, my spiritual guide, Source, God? I still don’t know but everyone I connect to either face to face, via video conference, or telephone consultation say the same things re my journey…I’m on something special ( and it’s not drugs or medication J) I have been on this same journey for many lifetimes and the intensity and pace is gaining strength, I have now been anchored down, deep in our earth, to keep me her, to do the work I have been destined to do!

Let me be of help to our world and humanity, let me do my best to heal and I will give my all.

Come on my friends, stop saying ‘If Only’ and get out there and take control of your life, do the things you want to do, say the things you want to say, open up your heart and ‘Start Living’ your life 🙂

Life is so much better when were saying ‘Thank You’ and ‘I’m So Happy’

May the love and light in our hearts glow ever brightly, lighting up the hearts of our brothers and sisters around the world, and may this bright light strengthen our compassion towards others and bring about peace, happiness and love on earth. May mother earth bear witness to our collective light and love and may God hear our roar. Allow then for our coming together as true brothers and sisters of humanity irrespective of our nationalities, our languages, our colour and our religious beliefs and let us speak once and for all from our hearts not from our minds, let our true love of peace prevail and bring upon a free flow of compassion to every corner of our planet, let us work together as one and bring our minds together to solve the problems of our world, allow this collective mind to bring about changes to our environment, take away the greed that has been with us for centuries the greed that fuels the fires of hatred, poverty and suffering for countless millions of souls in every country in our world whilst catering obsessively for the few. Let us clean up our cities, our countries, our rivers and oceans so that we and our children can enjoy the fruits of our labor for generations to come. We can make change and we will make change as long as we come together as one ‘Mankind’ : )

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

Take a moment to think of your heart as a garden and decide what your would like to see growing in your own heart, I would like my garden to be filled with peace, harmony, happiness, joy, music, dancing, nature, the sweet smells of summer fruits and summer flowers, the spring morning jew on the freshly cut grass, song birds in the air, bees and butterflies gathering nectar, the soft summers breeze rustling through the leaves on the willow trees, and brightly coloured fish splashing about in the lake dotted with beautiful lotus flowers in bloom and a rope swing made for two under the shade of a big old oak tree where My and I can rest together and enjoy mother nature in all her glory.

Our Minds control our feelings, our feelings control our emotions, our emotions control our acts, our acts have effect on others, others react to our emotions and so starts the process of Karma, so if we act with aggression and hostility, we are likely to receive anger and hostility, if we act in a peaceful manner with empathy, loving kindness and compassion we will receive the same in return and our world will be a better place.

I send you my love and positive energy today and everyday, may your day be filled with love, happiness and joy 🙂

Listen to the sound of the bell and allow your mind to return to the garden of your heart and see the flowers of peace bloom.

It’s early on Sunday morning here in Shanghai, and before i head out for the day with my camera on to the streets of Shanghai I wanted to share this beautiful video with you, i’m sure some of you may of have already seen it but I’m also sure you will be happy to watch and listen to its beautiful message again.

Please sit back, put your headphones on, turn up the sound a little, relax, enjoy the peace and the miracle that happens in our world of nature.

A huge Thank You and a big HUG to a dear blogging friend of mine Sheri over at http://theothersideofugly.com for her nomination of my humble blog for the Blog of The Year 2013 Award 🙂

My sincere gratitude and love goes out to everyone who nominate me for these awards but I always decline to take part in the process due to the time it takes to comply. I do however always welcome the loving kindness and thoughts that brought about my nomination in the first place, and my sincere gratitude to you all for your following and support of my blog, as it is you my dear blogging friends that give me the inspiration and passion to create and post articles.

Please take a look at Sheri’s blog, it’s full of wonderful ‘Letters to Humanity’ and a big congratulations and a well done to Sheri for her award 🙂

May the love and light in our hearts glow, light the hearts of our brothers and sisters, and may it strengthen our peace, happiness and love on earth. May nature be a witness of light and love and may God hear our roar : )

Together as one, we can make a difference to the happiness and peace in our world.

Giving out a smile to someone who has lost theirs.

Giving a helping hand.

Just being there for someone who needs some love.

My dear friends be the light today and allow your brightness to shine on the shadows of others around you. Hold out your hands to them and share some joy and happiness.